Hollow construction toy with hinged connector



Feb. 24, 1970 a, L00 ETAL' 3,496,670

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"' 620mm? I, 1001 United States Patent 3,496,670 HOLLOW CONSTRUCTION TOYWITH HINGED CONNECTOR Conrad B. Sloop, Huntington Beach, and John W.Ryan,

Los Angeles, Calif., assignors to Mattel, Inc., Hawthorne, Calif., acorporation of California Continuation-impart of application Ser. No.631,810, Apr. 18, 1967. This application Jan. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 703,506

Int. Cl. A63h 33/08 U.S. Cl. 46-25 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Ahollow, cubical toy building block has at least one face hingedlyconnected to a block open end so that a plurality of blocks may beconnected together by engaging the hinged face of one block in thecorresponding open end of another block. Some of the faces of each blockmay carry pins and other faces may be provided with apertures engageableby pins on other blocks.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is acontinuation-in-part of our copending application, Ser. No. 631,810,filed Apr. 18, 1967, and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The background of the invention is set forthin two parts:

Field of the invention The present invention pertains generally to thefield of construction toy elements and more particularly to suchelements having improved connector means. The elements include hollow,mating blocks each having at least one face hingedly connected to ablock open end so that a plurality of blocks may be connected togetherby engaging the hinged face of one block in the corresponding open endof another block.

Description of the prior art Construction toy elements in the form ofhollow, mating blocks are known from such prior United States patents asCroy Patent No. 1,604,391 and Duggar Patent No. 3,254,440. Onedisadvantage with the blocks disclosed in these patents resides in thefact that they are comparatively expensive to manufacture because of thelabor involved in first forming them in fiat sheets and then foldingthem into the shape of a block. Another disadvantage resides in the factthat the connector means included on the blocks limit use of the blocksprimarily to block-stacking activities.

The labor involved in folding a flat sheet into the shape of a block maybe reduced somewhat by injection molding a block in two halves. However,such blocks still have the disadvantage that even this small amount oflabor increases the cost of the block too much for present marketingconditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing factors and conditionscharacteristic of construction toy elements, it is a primary object ofthe present invention to provide a new and useful construction toyelement not subject to the disadvantages enumerated above and having animproved connector means especially designed for facilitating economicalmanufacture of the construction toy element while simultaneouslyimproving the play-value of the toy.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a construction toyelement which includes hollow, mating blocks each having at least oneface hingedly connected to a block open end so that the blocks may beconnected together by engaging the hinged face of one block in thecorresponding open end of another block.

. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide aconstruction toy element in the form of a cubical, hollow block havingat least one face hingedly connected to the block and having all of theblock faces provided with connecting means in the form of apertures orpins.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a block of thetype described having five faces provided with octagonal apertures andone face provided with an octagonal pin.

According to the present invention, construction toy elements havingimproved connector means are provided. Each toy element includes wallmeans forming a tubular member having an encompassing side wall and atleast one open end. This member may comprise a cube having six equalfaces with one of the faces comprising a plate means hingedly connectedto the tubular member at its open end, thereby forming a swingable faceor plate means.

This swingable face may be used to close the open end or, alternatively,it may be engaged in the open end of another member to connect twomembers together. Suitable stop means is provided inside each tubularmember for supporting the free end of the swingable face when it is inposition in an open end. Some of the faces of each member may carry pinsand other faces may be provided with apertures engageable by pins onother members. The pins and apertures may be of any octagonal shape, ifdesired.

The members, which will be sometimes referred to hereinafter as blocks,may be made from suitable plastic materials employing injection-moldingtechniques. The mold is arranged in such a manner that the swingableface is formed integrally with the remaining portion of the block and isconnected thereto by a portion having a reduced cross section forforming the hinge means. The block is formed with the swingable facelying in an open position so that the finished block may be readilyremoved from the mold. Thus, the construction toy element of the presentinvention overcomes the prior art disadvantage of requiring additionallabor to assemble different parts of the block together after themolding operation.

The hinge means has sufficient flexibility for permitting the swingableface to be flexed or twisted somewhat so that a plurality of blocks maybe connected together in the form of an arch, or the like.

The blocks may also be connected to other construction toy elementshaving suitable connector means provided thereon. For example, a beammay be inserted into the open end of a block with the swingable facethereof swung to a position approximately from a closed position. Theswingable face may be provided with an aperture which engages a pinlocated on the beam adjacent the end which is inserted into the block.Also, a beam may be provided with a swingable plate means matching theswingable faces provided on the blocks for connecting a block to thebeam by engaging its swingable plate means in the open end of the block.

If desired, some of the blocks may be provided with a pair of swingablefaces and with removable pins.

, The features of the present invention which are believed to be novelare set forth with particularly in the appended claims. The presentinvention, both as to its organization and manner of use, together withfurther objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood byreference to the following description, taken in connection withaccompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to likeelements in the several views.

3 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of aconstruction toy element in the form of a cubical block having oneswingable faces and constituting a first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the block of FIG- URE 1 showing itsswingable face in an open position;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a construction toy element in the formof a cubical block having two swingable faces and constituting a secondembodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is an exploded, perspective view of a block of FIGURE 1 incombination with a block like that shown in FIGURE 1 which has beenmodified by adding a plurality of connector pins thereto;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view showing a pair of blocksof the type shown in FIGURE 4 connected together by engaging theswingable face of one block in the open end of another block;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged, exploded perspective view of the blocks ofFIGURES 1 and 4 in association with a beam-type construction toyelement;

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view showing one typeof pin employed on the blocks shown in FIGURES 1-8;

FIGURE 10 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view of another pinwhich may be employed on the blocks shown in FIGURES 1-8;

FIGURE 11 is a partial elevational view of a structure which may be madeby connecting a plurality of blocks of the present invention together byengaging a swingable face of one block in the open end of another blockand by twisting the flexible faces slightly to form an arch;

FIGURE 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIGURE 11;and

FIGURE 13 is a perspective view showing a pair of blocks of the typeshown in FIGURE 4 connected together by engaging the swingable face ofone block with the connector pin of the other block.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring again to the drawingsand more particularly to FIGURES l-3, a construction toy elementconstituting a first embodiment of the present invention, generallydesignated 10, includes block 12 which is shown for purposes ofillustration, but not of limitation, in the shape of a cube having sixfaces 14, 16, 1'8, 20, 22 and 24. The block 12 is holiow so that thefaces 14-22 comprise wall means forming a tubular member having anencompassing sidewall and at least one open end, as shown at 26 inFIGURES 2 and 3. The open end 26 may be closed by the face 24 which isswingably connected to the face 22 by a hinge means 28. Thus, the face24 constitutes a swingable plate means for covering the open end 26.Alternatively, the swingable face 24 may be used to connect one block 12to another block 12 by engaging it in the open end of said other block.A stop means 30 is provided on the inside surface 32 of face forsupporting the free end 34 of the swingable face 24 in open end 26. Itshould be noted that the swingable face 24 serves both to close the openend 26 of a particular block and as a connecting means to connect oneblock to another block.

The construction toy element 10 also includes connecting means 36comprising a pin extending from face 14. An aperture 38 is provided ineach of the remaining faces for receiving pins 36 provided on otherblocks 12 to connect them together.

The construction toy element 10 is preferably made in a single moldingoperation from suitable plastic materials,

such as polypropylene, employing injection-molding techniques. This maybe accomplished by molding element 10 with swingable face 24 in an openposition. The hinge means 28 is formed during the molding operation byreducing the cross-section of the plastic material to form a thin web 40and mitred edges 42, 44. After the element 10 is removed from the mold,the swingable face 24 may be moved to a closed position (FIGURE 1) withthe edges 42, 44 abutting each other so that swingable face 24 forms aright angle with face 22. The stop member 30, the apertures 38 and theconnecting means 36 are also formed during the molding operation.

Referring now to FIGURES 6, 9 and 10, each connector means 36 may beprovided with eight longitudinally-extending faces 46 for minimizingturning of the connector means 36 in an associated aperture 38, which isof the octagonal shape required to receive connector means 36. Theconstruction element 10 may be modified as shown at 10a in FIGURE 6 byproviding it with additional connector means 36a of a removable typewhich may be inserted into any of the apertures 38. Each connector means36a includes a body portion 50 and a shank portion 52. An annular flange54 is provided on the body portion 50 adjacent shank 52 and a deformableflange 56 is provided on the lower end 58 of shank 52. The def-ormableflange 56 may be deflected sufficiently to permit insertion of shank 52into an aperture 38 until the annular flange 54 is seated against block12. At this time flange 56 resumes its original shape and engages block12 for securing connector means 36a thereto.

Referring now more in particular to FIGURES 4, 5 and 7, a constructiontoy element constituting a second embodiment of the present invention,generally designated 60 includes a tubular member or hollow block 62having an encompassing sidewall 64, a first open end 66 and a secondopen end 68 which may be closed by swingable faces or panel means 70,72, respectively. The faces 70, 72 are connected to the sidewall 64 byhinge means 74, 76, respectively, each of which includes a thin web 78and mitred edges 80, 82. Each plate means 70, 72 may be swung to aclosed position closing an associated open end 66, 68 by swinging itsfree end 84 into engagement with an associated stop member 86 providedinside block 62. The plate means 70, 72 may also be swung to openpositions and inserted into the open ends 68, 66, respectively, of otherblocks 62 for connecting them'together. Thus, the plate means 70, 72serve the dual roles of closing associated open ends 66, 68,respectively, and of serving as connector means for connecting aplurality of blocks 62 together.

The construction toy element 60 also includes a connector means 36a,which may be of the removable type shown in FIGURE 10, and is providedwith a plurality of apertures 88 engageable by connector means 36aprovided on other blocks for connecting a plurality of blocks 62together.

Each construction toy element 60 may be made from a suitable plasticmaterial, such as polypropylene, by single injection-molding step withthe swingable plate means 70, 72 in an open position for facilitatingremoval of the element 60 from the mold and for permitting the formationof webs 78 and mitred edges 80, 82.

FIGURE 7 shows an example of the swingable plate means 70, 72 being usedas a connector means. In this example, a base plate 90 is provided withan upstanding pin 92 which may be engaged by the aperture 88 in aswingable cover 72 on a lower block 62 with the swingable plate 72 in aclosed position wherein its free end 84 engages the stop member 86. Theswingable plate means 70 on the lower block 62 has been swung in aclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 7, approximately from a closedposition to an open position exposing open end 66. The swingable piate72' on an upper block 62' has also been swung in a clockwise direction180 exposing the open end 68' of the upper block 62'. The swing ableplate 72' may then be inserted into the open end 66 of the lower block62 while the swingable plate 70 of the lower block 62 may be insertedinto the open end 68 of the upper block 62' for connecting both blockstogether as shown. The flexible nature of the hinge means 74, 76 permitslimited swinging of the upper block 62' with respect to the lower, fixedblock 62, as indicated by the broken lines in FIGURE 7. Alternatively,the swingable plate means 70 on one block 62 may be swung open andengaged with the pin 36a on another block 62, as shown in FIGURE 13.This produces a hinging connection between the two blocks. In addition,the upper block 62' may be twisted along hinge means 74', 76 a smallamount, as will be more fully explained hereinafter in connection withFIGURES 11 and 12, which will now be described.

The construction toy elements 60 may be used to construct arches and thelike by connecting a plurality of blocks 62 together as shown in FIGURE11 wherein a stationary beam 94 is provided with an upstanding pin 96engageable in an aperture 88 provided in sidewall 64 of a base block 62ahaving its swingable plate means 70a closed. The swingable plate means72a of the .base block 62a is then engaged in the open end 66b of thenext higher block 62b which, in turn, has its swingable plate means 70b,which was swung downwardly from open end 66b so that swingable platemeans 72a from block 62a could be inserted into open end 6612, insertedinto the opening left in block 62a when its swingable plate means 72awas swung upwardly and positioned in open end 66b of block 62b. Theswingable plate means 72b from block 62b may be swung upwardly andengaged in the open end 660 of the next higher block 62c, in the openingcreated when its swingable plate means 700 was swung downwardly toengage the opening provided in block 62b when its plate means was swungupwardly and engaged in open end 660 of block 620. Additional blocks62d, 62c, 62) and 62g may be connected together in like manner and theassembly may be twisted to form an arch by taking advantage of theflexible nature of the several hinge means 74, 76. The upper block 62gmay then be connected to a fixed beam 98 by engaging a depending pin100, provided thereon, in an aperture 88 provided in the encompassingsidewall 64 of the block 62g. If desired, the pins 36a may be removedfrom the blocks 62 so that the sidewalls 64 of the several blocks 62will present a smooth surface uninterrupted by protuberances orprojections, as shown in FIGURE 11.

Referring now to FIGURE 8, a construction toy element constituting athird embodiment of the present invention, generally designated 102, isshown for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, as beingcombined with one construction toy element 10 and one construction toyelement 60. The construction toy element 102 comprises a tubular member103 having a substantially square cross section formed by anencompassing sidewall 104 which may be provided with spaced-apartapertures 106 substantially throughout its length. The member 103includes a first open end 10-8 which carries a swingable plate means 110corresponding in size and type to the swingable plate means 24, 70 and72 which serve the dual functions of closing open end 108 and of forminga connector means for engaging any of the open ends 32, 66 or 68 forconnecting elements 10 or 60 to member 103. The member 103 also includesa necked down end 112 which may be inserted inside blocks 12 and 62 byopening their associated swingable plate means 24 and 70, 72,respectively. The blocks 12 or 62 may be secured in position on end 112by engaging the apertures 38 or 88, respectively, with a pin 114 carriedby member 1-3 adjacent end 112.

In all of the embodiments illustrated and described herein, it is to benoted that the hinged cover or closure is substantially the same shapeand dimension as the opening in which it seats. Actually, the distancefrom the hinge axis to the opposite edge of the closure member, measuredalong the outer surface therof, is substantially equal to thecorresponding dimension of the related opening and since the side wallsof the blocks and the cover itself are of substantial thickness, it isnecessary to force the closure or cover into the opening, to closedposition and to remove the same therefrom, the resiliency of materialfrom which the blocks are made permits some fiexure to achieve thisresult. Stated differently, the distance from the hinge axis to the edgecorner of the closure at the opposite edge thereof and at the innersurface is actually a diagonal dimension (when viewing the cover insection) and is greater than the distance from the hinge axis to theopposite edge of the cover as measured along the outer surface thereof.Since the latter dimension is substantially equal to the correspondingdimension of the opening, then it is apparent that the diagonaldimension referred to is somewhat greater than the width of the openingand it is thus necessary to force the closure edge of the cover past theedge of the opening to get it into closed position or to open the samefrom closed position. This results in somewhat of a snap action and ispresent whether the closure is being seated in the corresponding openingof its own block or in the corresponding opening of a parent block, asshown in FIGURE 7. Thus, when assembled in the manner shown in FIGURES7, 8, 11, 12 and 13, the fit of the closure within the selected openingsecurely fastness the two adjacent blocks together. This could bereferred to as a snug frictional fit, but in any event, it is asecurement against accidental removal and releasably seats the closurein the selected opening. The described snap action, due to the greaterlength of the diagonal dimension referred to, results from the structuredescribed, which might also be referred to as resilient means releasablyholding the closure in its opening.

While the particular construction toy element herein shown and describedin detail are fully capable of attaining the objects and providing theadvantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that they aremerely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of theinvention.

We claim:

1. A construction toy element having improved connector means,comprising:

a one-piece, hollow toy building block having substantially flat sidesintegrally joined at adjacent edges;

at least one face of said block being open and having a substantiallyflat closure seated and releasably retained therein to completely closethe same;

integral hinge means connecting one edge of said closure to an adjacentedge of an adjacent side;

said block being an integral molding of resilient material, said sidesand closure being of substantial thickness, said closure having its edgefaces, other than said one edge, substantially perpendicular to itsouter surface, the transverse dimensions of said closure beingsubstantially equal to the corresponding dimensions of said openingwhereby said closure may be snapped into and out of said opening, theedge faces of said closure in engagement with adjacent sidesconstituting cooperating resilient means for releasably holding saidclosure in said opening and whereby said closure may be selectivelypositioned in said opening to define one face of said block orpositioned and releasably held in a similar open side of another blockto connect said blocks together.

2. A toy as defined in claim 1 wherein said integral hinge means issubstantially coplanar with the outer face of said closure and comprisesa relatively thin portion of said resilient material.

3. A toy as defined in claim 1 wherein said hinge means is biased tonormally urge said closure toward open position.

4. A toy as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of said sides isprovided with an aperture therethrough and another of said sides isprovided with pin means projecting therefrom for frictional engagementin a similar aperture in another block.

5. A toy as defined in claim 4 wherein said aperture is in said closureand said pin means is on said adjacent 10 side in position to engage insaid aperture when said closure is swung to a position overlying saidadjacent side.

6. A toy as defined in claim 1 wherein said block comprises a cubehaving six equal sides.

7. A toy as defined in claim 6 wherein two opposing sides of said blockcomprise an opening and cooperating closure.

8. A toy as defined in claim 1 wherein said block defines an elongatedstructure, said at least one side being one end of said elongatedstructure.

9. A toy as defined in claim 8 wherein the other end of said elongatedstructure is of reduced transverse dimensions, corresponding to thedimensions of said opening, and a laterally extending pin projectingfrom said structure adjacent to but spaced from said other end.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,861,388 11/1958 Favaretto 46-25X 2,874,512 2/1959 Joseph et al. 46-25 3,274,728 9/1966 Koch 46-29FOREIGN PATENTS 642,020 5/1928 France.

150,952 9/ 1920 Great Britain.

960,965 6/ 1964 Great Britain.

1,049,484 11/1966 Great Britain. 385,086 2/ 1965 Switzerland.

20 F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 46--26

